Skunk question, fast answer for preference.

[AA Maple]

I just smelled and thought I caught a glimpse of a skunk in the yard. By the time I grabbed ear protection and my 12 gauge he was gone but I reckon I'll probably be able to get the jump on him later if he comes back.

The question is, how bad am I going to get hit with stink if I give a skunk 2 barrels full of 3" buckshot? Do they "go off" when you shoot them or do they need to be alive?

Ditto if I put out some traps, can I dispatch him quick before he squirts? What's a safe distance from one of these little monsters for applying the finishing touch?

I have a dozen laying hens that I'd just as soon keep and 4 turkeys that at this point I have a lot of money in feed invested into.

 

[sourland]

My experience is that he is going to spray.

 

[mechanic57]

They will usually spray. What I've seen work the best is set a live trap, shoot it with a .22 while its in the trap. This will keep you far enough to not get anyting on you, but should be accurate enough for a head shot (shotgun pattern will cause more trauma = more mess, plus more chance of stink release) then dispose of it. Have your disposal site and material ready ahead of time to minimize your time with the dead skunk and its smell hanging out smelling up the joint.

 

[Folly's place]

We've had good luck with a live trap, then walking up to the trap quietly with a tarp in front, putting the tarp over the trap, and then carrying the trap with tarp out to a better spot. Then shoot the skunk in the head, and bury there. Never got sprayed, but no promises that it will work for you, just our good results. Mary

 

[AA Maple]

No sign of him except a lingering odor but I suspect he'll be back. I'll pick up some sardines or something tomorrow for bait and get some traps out.

My big worry is if I hear the birds getting agitated in the middle of the night I don't have a clean shot with small bore rifle in the dark and I certainly can't afford to be feeding poultry to the local varmints!

Thanks for the quick tips. If I have any further contact with it I'll update.

 

[Folly's place]

Having your flock locked in their predator proof coop every night is essential, and having all feed inside at night also deters night visitors. Then trap and shoot persistant varmits. Mary

 

[AA Maple]

Having your flock locked in their predator proof coop every night is essential, and having all feed inside at night also deters night visitors. Then trap and shoot persistant varmits. Mary

Predator proof housing is right out. Layers are in tractors (open bottom by nature) and turkeys are in a cage I threw together out of scraps. If I had to spend 400$ in hardware cloth on all 6 sides of chicken habitat it would be cheaper to just buy new birds once a year. Ducks are in a solid wooden box at night since they're down by the stream where I don't have line-of-sight so they're good.

If I lost all my laying hens tonight I could replace the dozen of them for 100$ and have eggs by the end of the month. It just doesn't make sense for me to build Fort Knox to house birds.

 

[Egghead_Jr]

Head shots are the only way to not have them spray when shooting. Trapping and releasing you cover the trap with towel and they don't spray or some trap and shoot in head with a high power pellet gun.

If you've a good pellet gun of 800 ft/sec then a head shot up to about 75ft or your personal accuracy of 1" will work. Aim between the eye and ear on a skunk, just google for image of skunk skull and you'll see it's a small long brain pan. Proper placement and enough power to pass the skull an animal will drop in place.

Skunks are great diggers and definitely have chicken dinners. A dig proof apron around your pen will keep them out, they move on if no food source. I use 2x4 14 ga wire fencing. I cut the 4ft width in half and to length of run. Lay it right on the ground and allow grass to grow through it or lift sod and place under it.

 

[AA Maple]

Head shots are the only way to not have them spray when shooting. Trapping and releasing you cover the trap with towel and they don't spray or some trap and shoot in head with a high power pellet gun.

If you've a good pellet gun of 800 ft/sec then a head shot up to about 75ft or your personal accuracy of 1" will work. Aim between the eye and ear on a skunk, just google for image of skunk skull and you'll see it's a small long brain pan. Proper placement and enough power to pass the skull an animal will drop in place.

Skunks are great diggers and definitely have chicken dinners. A dig proof apron around your pen will keep them out, they move on if no food source. I use 2x4 14 ga wire fencing. I cut the 4ft width in half and to length of run. Lay it right on the ground and allow grass to grow through it or lift sod and place under it.

LOL. My long range options are 12 gauge over/under or 7mm rem mag. The coon I got a month ago I did in with a pistol, but I don't want to take my chances at pistol range on a skunk!

Oddly enough he didn't try for any of the birds or the feed or come back last night. I'll be keeping an eye out for his return and possibly baiting up some traps tonight. There's a few big dogs in the neighborhood and we do a LOT of shooting so most critters stay pretty clear of this area.

 

[ChicksAre4Kids]

Might it be a good idea to research "skunk repellent" and try to avoid the mess and possible stink altogether?

I'm sure there are many deterrents available. Hopefully inexpensive enough to use rather than the other options.